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Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, who was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump for the Jan. 6 insurrection, announced Thursday night he will not seek re-election in 2022, citing “the chaotic political environment that currently infects our country.”
““While my desire to build a fuller family life is at the heart of my decision, it is also true that the current state of our politics, especially many of the toxic dynamics inside our own party, is a significant factor in my decisions.””
Gonzalez, 36, is Ohio’s first Latino congressman, and a former NFL player.
Following his vote to impeach Trump, the Ohio Republican Party’s central committee voted to censure him and called for his resignation.
Trump has endorsed Gonzalez’s Republican primary challenger, Max Miller — who served in the Trump White House — as part of a concerted effort to oust Republicans who opposed him.
In an interview with the New York Times published Thursday, Gonzalez called Trump “a cancer for the country,” and said the events of Jan. 6 crossed a line for him.
“I don’t believe he can ever be president again,” Gonzalez told the Times of Trump. “Most of my political energy will be spent working on that exact goal.”
Gonzalez told the Times that since his impeachment vote, he has received numerous threats and now fears for the safety of his family.
Evan McMullin, a former Republican policy strategist who ran for president in 2016 and has been a vocal anti-Trump conservative voice, said in a tweet that he was “disappointed” but not surprised by Gonzalez’s decision.
“This is a man who upheld his oath to defend the Constitution while under violent threat to his family,” McMullin said. “Is there any room left for honorable patriots like him in the Grand Old Party?”
